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From Garnish to Secret Sauce: How Loyalty Has Become the Real Revenue Driver

Published on July 17, 2025
By PAR Team

For years, loyalty building was treated like a garnish that operators sprinkled on top of the “entrees” of bigger promotional strategies like traffic, advertising, and limited-time offers. Restaurants haphazardly threw punch cards and generic discounts on the proverbial plate as incentives, but rarely gave them the spotlight.=

But now? Loyalty is proving to be the secret sauce — the flavor that ties the whole dish together and keeps guests coming back for more. When restaurant traffic softened and guests pulled back on discretionary spending, loyalty stepped up. According to PAR’s 2025 QSR Operational Index, loyalty transactions rose more than 30 percentage points in 2024.

Guests may be trimming their dining budgets, but when they do choose to eat out, they’re showing up for the restaurants that make them feel known, appreciated, and rewarded. Loyalty has moved beyond an afterthought to a growth driver.

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Tiffany Disher, General Manager, MENU North America

Tiffany Disher

General Manager, MENU North America

Tiffany Disher, General Manager, MENU North America, an omni-channel ordering solution to futureproof restaurant’s growing digital sales needs. Before taking on this new role in January 2023, she was an integral part of Punchh’s growth story. She has advised hundreds of customers over the past eight years on their loyalty strategies both from a base program standpoint as well as ongoing marketing strategies. Before Punchh, Tiffany worked for Schlotzsky’s where she supported the brand marketing team by leading loyalty, eClub, R&D, Franchise advisory council and marketing analytics. Tiffany has her Bachelor’s of Science in Economics from University of Oregon and Master’s in Business with a specialty in Marketing from Baylor University. An avid golfer, hiker and mom of two small children, Tiffany spends her limited free time entering into baking competitions.